the worst dog in the whole world

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Some of you may remember me posting about dog troubles before when we first moved back to OK and Ornery kept digging out of the fenced back yard and terrorizing the neighborhood.  Some of you may also remember when I posted about him in WI, when he wouldn't go in his dog house when it was raining, and so a neighbor called the police on me for "cruelty to animals."     Ornery is quite possibly the worst dog in the world.  Even before we moved to WI, he was causing trouble with the neighbors in a run down old town where people keep ten dogs and goats in their front yards...we were afraid then he would get shot, and ended up building a small pen for him, which he would dig out of or climb out of periodically.  Right now, we are violating our lease because it says that we can't tie or chain a dog in the yard, but putting him on a cable run was the only choice we had to keep him in... he is too dumb for anything else.  Still, if he manages to get loose, he darts for the fence and starts digging, and then acts like "Who, me?" when we yell his name.  He is blind in one eye, and therefore often barks at things that normal dogs would not... little things spook him, like shadows, leaves falling, and God forbid a turtle or frog should try to get across the yard.  There is literally something "not right" with him, mentally.  Anyway, at six something this morning, our doorbell starts ringing repeatedly, and DH opens the door to find the neighbor from two doors down standing there stewing.  She complained that Ornery is barking 24-7 (which he's not) and that none of our neighbors can sleep (supposedly).  Ornery barks every morning between 5 and 6 because our neighbors in behind us let their little dog out in their back yard at that time.  The two bark back and forth all the day's news for a while, but even then it is NOT just Ornery, but he does have a loud, shrill bark, I admit.  Other than that, he barks when I come out to feed, water, and play with the dogs, and he barks when the neighbor kids get in an argument out on the sidewalk in front of our house, and he throws and absolute fit when the meter reader comes around, or if someone tries to come in the back yard.  Our other dog, Grover, is a good dog, who rarely barks, and NEVER barks without a reason.  But even Ornery doesn't bark that much... believe me, it would drive me nuts if he did as this house is not insulated well and you could easily hear him, as he sleeps right outside our bedroom window.  Anyway, the neighbor complained to DH to "do something" about him, and she didn't care if we put a shock collar on him (another supposed violation of our lease, which I think is crazy) or bring him inside or shoot him, or whatever.  So, once again, Ornery has managed to get us in trouble with the neighbors....    He is the worst dog ever.  Hopefully by the end of next month, we won't be here to bother anyone!  I'm sure even if Ornery had 40 acres to run on, he'd still find a way  to be a nuisance to someone, even if it is only us. 

We got Ornery 8 years ago.  My mom has always had too many dogs.  He is a miniature spitz, and pretty cute in spite of his missing eye.  The town where mom lives had made a new law that you could have no more than three dogs.  Ornery was a leftover pup that she hadn't sold, and she kept him too long and so it was going to be hard to find him a home (I think he may have been 3 or 4 years old by the time we got him).  So, the town where DH and I lived was having a shot clinic for getting dogs and cats vaccinated cheaply, so I volunteered to take him to get his shots so that he would be more adoptable.  Then she wouldn't take him back, no matter how many fights it caused between me and DH.  We didn't want or need another dog.  Ornery had two eyes back then, but that's another story.  Mom just kept saying, "Well, I thought you all could just keep him since you paid for his shots."  I tried and tried to convince her that I'd only paid for his shots to help her find him a home.  Here it is 8 years later and we still have him...   If I had it to do over again, I would've made Mom deal with the monster she created.  Ornery was beat up by her other male dog, and he's nervous and spastic, scared of silly things.  The first time we took him for shots, he got so freaked out, he puked on the vet and then passed out.  Still if you pick him up, you can feel him stiffen up and shiver, and he looks for the first opportunity to get away.  He's never really bonded with anyone, though he is closest to my oldest daughter.  He is the only dog I was not able to housebreak (hence he is an outside dog.)  I can't break him from digging holes under the fence or barking either.  So, I guess to satisfy the neighbor for the next month until we move, I will have to put him inside in a kennel at nights and not let him out until 7 or 8 in the morning.  Still, even if he is the worst dog in the world, I can't help but feel kind of sorry for him, and after all, we've put up with him so long, and I wouldn't wish him on anyone else, so we really don't have a choice but to let him live out is spastic years with our family in hopes that someday he does something heroic to redeem his crazy behavior all these years.  Even if he doesn't, he's probably been good for building character in us.

[glenn kangiser]

Another reason to get away from so called civilization.  Our brave dogs killed another skunk yesterday.  The skunks like to suck the eggs in the chicken house if they can get in.  That's 2 skunks in about a month or so.  No -- it sometimes doesn't smell that good around here.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

I agree totally, Glenn.  I hate living here in the city.  We have a lease that allows dogs, but prohibits dog poop, dog smell, dog noise, dog chains/tie-outs, and shock collars, yet we are supposed to keep our dog in at all times, and acting un-doglike at all times.  We are not to leave the dog alone for more than one hour (it is seriously in the lease!!!)  In that regard, I think we've violated our lease on pretty much all fronts except the shock collar, which I haven't ever convinced myself would do any good for Ornery.  When did dogs stop being allowed to be dogs?  When I was a kid, we knew every dog on our road by name, and if they came to visit, we gave them a treat or a piece of cheese and told them to go home.  If they killed chickens or chased calves, we shot them after one warning to the owner and nobody sued us because they understood that a thief or chicken-killer was fair game.  I think the wake-up this morning may have been in retaliation for me asking a neighbor the other day to pick up after her dog because they are filling our whole front yard with dog poop, which according to our lease, we have to clean up.  You can't even walk out to check the mail without stepping in it.  The lady got mad at me for asking her to clean up and started denying that her dog had done anything (I was sitting in the truck waiting on kids to get buckled and had just watched him take a dump right by the mailbox.)  I tried to ask as nicely as possible, and I just kind of mumbled, "OK." and got back in the truck because it is not worth fighting.  The woman walked off, leaving her dog's mess behind.  Anyway, we've lived here nearly a year an nobody has complained, other than the guy right next to us, whose yard Ornery would dig into.  And he didn't really even complain.  He just chased him back under the fence and then blocked the hole.  He just laughed and said he used to have a dog that was the same way. 

Glenn, those are some really brave dogs (or crazy ) to kill skunks!  I bet they stink to high heavens, but isn't that how dogs are supposed to be?  Guess we'll get both of the dogs inside today and bathe and trim them so that we can keep them in at night... they stink so bad right now, it may take several tubs of water.

[ScottA]

That's why I hate living in town. Too many uptight people. I was putting antifreeze in my truck one day and I spilled a couple of drops. The lady next door threatened to call the cops on me cause her cat might drink it and die. I'll never live in town again.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Scott, other than when I lived in Stillwater during college, I've always felt the same way.  Stillwater is a pretty laid-back town, as far as towns go.  The worst I had there was some neighbors who played strip poker in their back yard.   My hometown isn't bad either. But now I'm in OKC (all y'all who are in big cities can go ahead and laugh, I don't care... OKC  IS a big city, too, just maybe not quite on the scale of Dallas or Toronto or LA.)  I am so ready to get out.   Kids and I are going house hunting again tomorrow, and DH and I are going Saturday.  (Of course, during this time we will once again be violating our lease by leaving  our dogs outdoors, alone and acting like dogs and scratching and barking and pooping, and we will leave food and water out for them, which is also a violation of the stupid lease...)  Hopefully one of the two days will find us a place to move to at the end of this coming month!!!!!  Wish us well!!!!